Soar through the sky with the Blue Angels

Updated 7:12 PM ET, Fri June 3, 2016

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Photos:Soaring with the Blue Angels

Soaring with the Blue Angels – The U.S. Navy's iconic flying team, the Blue Angels, performed in 2014 for the first time in nearly a year after the team was grounded because of forced spending cuts. If you haven't had a chance to see them in person, watch them fly over the years in these photos from aerospace fans on CNN iReport.

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Photos:Soaring with the Blue Angels

Soaring with the Blue Angels – Aerospace journalist Charles Atkeison says the team's blue and gold jets are a familiar sight and sound along the northern Gulf Coast beaches, near their home at the Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida.

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Soaring with the Blue Angels – Atkeison had the opportunity to photograph the Blue Angels practicing at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola in September 2013.

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Soaring with the Blue Angels – The Blue Angels' six demonstration pilots fly F/A 18 Hornets. "They can perform amazing aerobatic stunts," said Atkeison, who got to fly with the team in 2012.

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Soaring with the Blue Angels – Blue Angels pilots and crew members greet show spectators in Pensacola.

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Soaring with the Blue Angels – "A typical week may find all six Blue Angels in flight as they practice flying wing tip to wing tip, just 18 inches apart," he said.

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Soaring with the Blue Angels – Two pilots converse at the Naval Air Station.

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Soaring with the Blue Angels – Alabama dad Ditto Gorme visited the Naval Air Station in Pensacola to photograph the Blue Angels practicing in March 2013, shortly before the team was grounded.

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Soaring with the Blue Angels – "Every year, we always go to the airshow here in Pensacola," Gorme said. When he learned the shows would be canceled, he said, he decided to go watch one of the remaining practice sessions. "It was packed with fans like it was a regular show."

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Soaring with the Blue Angels – A total of 16 officers voluntarily serve with the Blue Angels, according to its website. Each team is composed of three tactical jet pilots, two support officers and one Marine Corps pilot.

Soaring with the Blue Angels – This was the second-to-last practice before the federal government canceled the 32 shows left last year. The Air Force said air shows can cost bases $100,000.

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Soaring with the Blue Angels – Gorme plans to be watching the Blue Angels for their 2014 opening show.

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Soaring with the Blue Angels – After practice flights, pilots go to the Naval Aviation Museum to meet the fans and sign autographs.

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Soaring with the Blue Angels – A pilot signs a poster for a fan.

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Soaring with the Blue Angels – Retired teacher Gej Jones has seen the Blue Angels fly several times.

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Soaring with the Blue Angels – Jones last visited the Naval Air Station in April 2012. He says the atmosphere was electric.

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Soaring with the Blue Angels – The first time he saw the Blue Angels fly, Jones said, "I was like a little kid waiting for Santa Claus. I was very excited. That same excitement has been with me each and every time since."

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Soaring with the Blue Angels – The Blue Angels flight exhibition team was initially created with the intention of piquing the public's interest in naval aviation and boosting Navy morale.

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Soaring with the Blue Angels – Jones says the airshow has certainly captivated him. "It's a terrific opportunity for the public, young and old alike, to get up close and personal with the Blue Angels," he said.

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After being grounded because of the budget sequestration in 2013, the Blue Angels take flight again.